KCSM Community Stations | San Mateo, California

Show All

Lee Charlton (2010)
Visit Website	Lee Charlton came to California from his native Alabama, not with a banjo on his knee, but with his drums in the trunk and pianist Ellis Marsalis in the passenger seat. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Born the son of a salesman who played saxophone, trombone and drums, Lee began playing drums at age 10 and performing professionally at age 15: so proficient was he as a teenager, he twice received the "Best Drummer" award in Alabama state competitions. During his military service in the mid '50s, Lee was fortunate to have been surrounded by excellent musicians in the Army band: quite casually he mentions the names of fellow GIs Wynton Kelly and Phineas Newborn jr. Lee had already known the former: before Lee enlisted and while Wynton was stationed not far from where Lee was working, they had been in an occasional trio. It was this association that gave him his--quite literal--15 minutes of fame: through Wynton's prior association with Dizzy Gillespie, Lee got to sit in for a quarter of an hour with Bird and Diz, who themselves were passing through town. It was in 1963 that Lee brought to the San Francisco Bay Area his New Orleans Quintet: that's the one that included Ellis Marsalis, who is now internationally known (even if mostly as the father of the musical brothers Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason), but then "just" a great New Orleans jazz pianist. Lee liked the Bay Area so much that, almost 50 years later, he's still here (but he still talks to Ellis in New Orleans by telephone every week or so). Though long Bay Area-resident, Lee has never forgotten his roots, and performed for some two decades with fellow southerner Mose Allison (an association that dates back to the late '50s in Biloxi, Mississippi, before Lee followed Horace Greely's advice). He's recorded with out-and-out jazz people such as Mose, Vince Guaraldi, Mike Lipskin, and Jim Burke, and also with the likes of Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, and experimentalist Richard Waters. Let's not forget Australian-born Bryce Rohde: Lee and Bryce are names often mentioned together, and with good reason; for example, in 2003, Lee performed with the Bryce Rohde Trio at Wangaratta, the largest jazz festival in Australia. Lee has performed with singers from Mel Tormé to June Christy, trumpeters from Red Rodney to Chet Baker, pianists from Earl "Fatha" Hines to Kenny Drew, and bassists from Charlie Haden to the elusive Henry Grimes. Although Lee has a full career to look back on, he's still looking forward, always trying to improve on that day on which, he says, he's never played better--and he has a lot of such days from which to choose.

Lee Charlton (2010)

Visit Website

Lee Charlton came to California from his native Alabama, not with a banjo on his knee, but with his drums in the trunk and pianist Ellis Marsalis in the passenger seat. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Born the son of a salesman who played saxophone, trombone and drums, Lee began playing drums at age 10 and performing professionally at age 15: so proficient was he as a teenager, he twice received the "Best Drummer" award in Alabama state competitions.

During his military service in the mid '50s, Lee was fortunate to have been surrounded by excellent musicians in the Army band: quite casually he mentions the names of fellow GIs Wynton Kelly and Phineas Newborn jr.

Lee had already known the former: before Lee enlisted and while Wynton was stationed not far from where Lee was working, they had been in an occasional trio. It was this association that gave him his--quite literal--15 minutes of fame: through Wynton's prior association with Dizzy Gillespie, Lee got to sit in for a quarter of an hour with Bird and Diz, who themselves were passing through town.

It was in 1963 that Lee brought to the San Francisco Bay Area his New Orleans Quintet: that's the one that included Ellis Marsalis, who is now internationally known (even if mostly as the father of the musical brothers Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason), but then "just" a great New Orleans jazz pianist. Lee liked the Bay Area so much that, almost 50 years later, he's still here (but he still talks to Ellis in New Orleans by telephone every week or so).

Though long Bay Area-resident, Lee has never forgotten his roots, and performed for some two decades with fellow southerner Mose Allison (an association that dates back to the late '50s in Biloxi, Mississippi, before Lee followed Horace Greely's advice). He's recorded with out-and-out jazz people such as Mose, Vince Guaraldi, Mike Lipskin, and Jim Burke, and also with the likes of Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, and experimentalist Richard Waters. Let's not forget Australian-born Bryce Rohde: Lee and Bryce are names often mentioned together, and with good reason; for example, in 2003, Lee performed with the Bryce Rohde Trio at Wangaratta, the largest jazz festival in Australia.

Lee has performed with singers from Mel Tormé to June Christy, trumpeters from Red Rodney to Chet Baker, pianists from Earl "Fatha" Hines to Kenny Drew, and bassists from Charlie Haden to the elusive Henry Grimes.

Although Lee has a full career to look back on, he's still looking forward, always trying to improve on that day on which, he says, he's never played better--and he has a lot of such days from which to choose.

Pick	Artist	Album	Song	Label
# 1	Keith Jarrett	My Foolish Heart	Oleo	(ECM)
# 2	Charlie Parker	The Essential Charlie Parker	Confirmation	(Verve)
# 3	Art Pepper	Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section	Straight Life	(Contemporary)
# 4	The Jim Burke Trio	The Jim Burke Trio	Luck, Be a Lady Tonight	(www.sonomajazz.com)
# 5	The Bryce Rohde Trio	Short Way Home	Short Way Home	(www.sonomajazz.com)
# 6	Ellis Marsalis	Monkey Puzzle	Magnolia Triangle	(AFO)
# 7	Lee Charlton, Chuck Foster, Jim Haden, Ellis Marsalis and John Pierce	Afternooon Session, August 17th, 1968	Impressions	(www.sonomajazz.com)
# 8	Dave Grusin	Homage to Duke	Take the "A" Train	(GRP)

Book	Charles Suhor, "Jazz in New Orleans: The Postwar Years Through 1970"

Luxury Item	An assorted case of '82 Bordeaux

Castaways by date

Doug Beavers
27 Aug
Chuck Bennett
25 Jun
Lee Brenkman
08 Oct
Lee Charlton
08 Jan
Barbara Dane
15 Jan
Robben Ford
17 Dec
Rebecca Coupe Franks
28 May
Fred Frith
13 Aug
Larry Grenadier
06 Aug

Eddie Henderson
09 Apr
Erik Jekabson
16 Jul
Laura Klein
26 Feb
Cleo Laine and Jacqui Dankworth
22 Oct
Babatunde Lea
19 Mar
Victor Lin
30 Jul
Charles McPherson
23 Jul
Houston Person
02 Jul
Alfredo Rodriguez
12 Nov

Loren Schoenberg
30 Apr
Adam Shulman
05 Mar
Frank Sumares
19 Feb
Dave Tidball
12 Mar
Mike Vax
23 Apr
George Wein
15 Oct
Mark Winkler
03 Sep